Fifth year architecture student, Benjamin Jawad, won an AIA Dallas Student Design award for his project 8209 Park Lane. The project was developed in the Design 7 course under the direction of Amy Leveno.
The competition allowed entries from current architecture students from Texas and Oklahoma, both from the undergraduate and graduate level. The competition sought entries that were, “responsive to beauty, poetry, context and previous condition, inspiration, process, environmental and social impact, economy and consumption.”
“Ben’s award submission was creative, thoughtful, well conceived, and beautifully represented,” said Leveno. “His win is a huge accomplishment.”
Jawad’s submission, 8209 Park Ln., was a community housing project based in Victory Meadow, Texas. His submission was the only entry out of Oklahoma to receive an award.
”The project was the result of months of research, iterations, and many late nights in the studio. The project type, location, and brief all presented interesting new challenges that I hadn’t dealt with before, and each decision required balancing practicality and sustainability while addressing the needs of a marginalized community,” said Jawad. “I’m honored to have the project acknowledged by professionals and industry leaders, and it means a lot to know that my ideas resonated with others beyond the studio. The experience as a whole has inspired me to keep designing and creating work that makes a positive impact on the communities it serves.”
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
